Peabody Albanian Club's Permit Suspended 3 Months After Violation

PEABODY, MA — The Peabody City Council voted to suspend the special operating permit of the Albanian Boston Community Center on Howley Street for three months on Thursday night — and imposed conditions on its reinstatement — after the social club was found to be serving alcohol in violation of its permit in December.

A state inspection in December found boxes of empty beer bottles on the floor, a 15-foot bar in the common area and a refrigerator that could be used for alcohol storage. The inspection also found beverage purchase receipts for drinks costing in excess of $6 when the club claimed it would be serving only coffee, water and specialty juices.

The City Council had the option of revoking the permit entirely, suspending the permit, leveling a fine only or taking no action.

Ward 3 City Councilor Stephanie Peach proposed the suspension with conditions for reinstatement, along with a maximum $200 fine for a first offense of a permit violation, noting that the only two conditions on the club's permit when it was granted were to stay within what she called "liberal" operating hours and that there be no alcohol sales or consumption on premises.

"We gave them very clear rules," she said. "We've gone through entertainment licenses where there were 17 conditions. Here, there were two, and they didn't follow the main one.

"I don't want to shut down a social club that can provide things for a thriving community in Peabody. But I also don't want to slap a fine on this, a short-term suspension, and then be back here in six months."

The conditions state that the club founders must return to the City Council with an operating plan that includes a business or site manager on-site during hours of operation to ensure rules are being followed.

The club did not dispute the violation but asked for leniency based on the benefits of the club to the community and a misunderstanding of the full responsibilities of running a club that they said rapidly expanded from "six to eight members" when the special permit was first issued to more than 300 families.

A lawyer for the club did not contest the infraction with a spokesman saying he was "very embarrassed" over the incident.

Club representatives said the alcohol was brought into the club without the knowledge of the founders since they are volunteers and not there at all times, and that there may have been some confusion between the restriction on the sale of alcohol without a license — which is a violation of state law — and consumption of alcohol privately purchased off-site.

"This isn't 'someone had a party and made a mistake,'" Peach contended. "This was very well thought out. The place that you are at shares the building with a church. Does that seem like an appropriate place for a social club (with alcohol served)?

"The Council may have had a different stance on the special permit when we were talking about this if alcohol had been brought up and if your client had been forthcoming about the intent to have alcohol on the premises.

"This wasn't someone who brought in a six-pack (of beer) or had some Sambuca in their coffee the day before Thanksgiving. ... We gave you one rule and you didn't follow it."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)